IND vs AUS 2020: 'When he does get runs, he gets tons' - Darren Lehmann believes Australia will back Joe Burns
Former Australia coach Darren Lehmann believes Australia will back under-fire opener Joe Burns. Lehmann stated that the right-hander has the ability to score hundreds, and that this is a major requirement in Test matches.
“The one good thing about Joe Burns is his record shows when he does get runs he gets hundreds and that’s a big win in terms of Test-match play,” Sydney Morning Herald quoted Lehmann as saying.
Lehmann wants Australia to stick with Joe Burns, and opined that things would have been different had David Warner been around. The southpaw feels it's important for Joe Burns to be playing, as Australia need experience at the top of the order in the absence of regular opener Warner.
“I think they’ll stick with him, but that’s only my personal opinion. I think they probably should. A lot of people want to change things around and if David Warner was there it might be a bit different for him,” he added.
“But with no Warner, I think you’ve got to have some sort of experience,” Lehmann opined.
Joe Burns scored only 5 runs across the two warm-up games
Joe Burns has been terribly out of form in the lead-up to the Test series, as he failed to spend any time at the crease in the warm-up games. The 31-year-old managed scores of 4, 0, 0, 1 in the four innings he played for the Australia A side.
While Ricky Ponting has sided with Lehmann in the Joe Burns debate, former Australia leg-spinner Shane Warne feels otherwise.
"I think it`s pretty simple mate. Wade is in best 6 test batsman, Warner back for Boxing Day. So let Wade loose in Adelaide with Harris. I supported Burns 2 weeks ago, but 60 odd runs in 7/8 hits doesn`t deserve to be selected. We must trust form," Warne wrote in a tweet.
It will be interesting to see whether Australia stick with Joe Burns for the pink-ball Test at the Adelaide Oval, with Marcus Harris and Matthew Wade in the mix. The 1st Test begins at 9:30 AM IST on December 17th.